The Doctors: Daytime Talk Show Disaster



I was planning to critique last week's jaw-dropping (read: full of falsehoods) episode of The Doctors, but Freedom of Speech did such a stellar job, there is no need to add more. This video is well worth your 14 minutes of attention (and sharing).

Intro commentary from FreedomOSpeech:
Daytime television talk shows have never been known for giving the most reliable information to the public. A show called "The Doctors" is no exception.

I'm going to go over a segment of the show that aired on the 12th of January 2011.

The segment is about the proposed circumcision ban in San Francisco California. This bill would ban non-consensual genital cutting of minors when there is no immediate medical necessity. This bill is intended to protect minors, and does not ban medically necessary or adult consensual surgeries.

The clip begins with Dr. Drew Ordon making a horrible case for his position. Dr. Drew, you will henceforth be known as Doctor Fallacy.

Let's begin.



References

Special thanks to Sam of Gallifrey for help gathering sources and arguments. Subscribe here.

1. H. C. Bazett et al, "Depth, Distribution and Probable Identification in the Prepuce of Sensory End-Organs Concerned in Sensations of Temperature and Touch, Thermometric Conductivity," Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry 27 (1932): 489-517

2. Sorrells et al. (2007). Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis. British Journal of Urology, 99(4), 864--869. http://tinyurl.com/sorrells2007bju

3. Van Howe RS, Cold CJ. Advantages and disadvantages of neonatal circumcision. JAMA 1997:278:203.

4. Klein, A. (1989). The healing power of humor. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam.

5. Cornell, DH. (2003). Frequently Asked Questions. Circumcision Center. http://www.circumcisioncenter.com/faq...

6. Detailed Guide: Penile Cancer. What Are the Key Statistics About Penile Cancer?. (2006). American Cancer Society. http://tinyurl.com/penilecancer

7. Country Comparison - HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate. (2007). Central intelligence agency. http://tinyurl.com/ciahiv

8. "Countries" Measure Demographic and Health Surveys. N.p., 2010. http://www.measuredhs.com/countries

9. MedicineNet. (2011). Male Breast Cancer. http://tinyurl.com/mbcancer

10. 18 U.S.C. § 116 : US Code - Section 116: Female genital mutilation. (CITE: 18USC116). http://tinyurl.com/usafgm

11. World Health Organization. (2009). Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement. UNFPA.http://tinyurl.com/eliminatefgm

12. Taylor JR, Lockwood AP, Taylor AJ. The prepuce: Specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision. British Journal of Urology 1996; 77: 291-295. http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/t...

13. Lakshmanan S., Prakash S. Human prepuce: Some aspects of structure and function. Indian J Surg 1980;44:134-7. http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/l...

14. Gairdner D. The fate of the foreskin: A study of circumcision. Br Med J 1949;2:1433-7.

15. Frederick Hodges, Paul Fleiss. "Nontherapeutic Circumcision Should not be Performed," American Medical News, vol. 38, no. 26 (July 17, 1995): p. 16.

16. World Health Organization. (2010). Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement. World Health Organization. http://tinyurl.com/2nfjmq

17. Stang , M.J., & Snellman, L.W. (1998). Circumcision practice patterns in the United States. Pediatrics, 101(6), http://pediatrics.aappublications.org... doi: 10.1542/peds.101.6.e5

18. Hitchens schools Rabbi on issue of genital mutilation. (2009). [Web]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U93ZiR...

19. Planet Parent (season 1, episode 2). (2006). [Web]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyYhRp...

20. Fleiss, PM. (1997, March). The case against circumcision. Mothering.

21. Mark, S, Brown, MD, Cheryl, A, & Brown, RN. (1987). Circumcision Decision: Prominence of social concerns. Pediatrics, 80(2), 215-219 http://tinyurl.com/aapcosmeticcirc

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12 comments:

  1. I know it's going to be so stupid I don't want to watch. Any doctor who thinks circumcision is ok needs to be stripped of their license to practice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. awesome clip!! Dr Sears tried. The other 3 are idiots!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brad - I agree, but you should check out this video. It is the best response I've seen to the show.

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  4. Wow, that lady Dr especially is an idiot! Every sentence she said contradicted the next...how are drs allowed to be this dumb??

    I love the bit at the end. 'So you could either cut it off or wash it, your choice.'
    'Exactly!'

    So she agrees that the supposed benefits can be prevented by washing.....moron!

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  5. Thank you for the video. i have worked extensively with men as they have re experienced their circumcision. The terror they enter is awful. They feel abandoned by their mothers and carry shock through out their bodies. Their hearts have closed down and the trauma has left them deeply scared. When circumcised men defend the practice it is because their own terror is so great.If they begin to reflect with some concern for the baby their own pain begins to surface. That pain is actually always close and gets projected onto other things. It leaves the baby with a deep distrust and the belief that he must look after himself and that life is dangerous. This is an enormous cultural wounding that we are all affected by. Women who have made love with member both intact and circumcised men can tell the difference in their lovers. Many women in out culture do not know what it is like to have a man with an un traumatized member. The healing of the trauma leads to an open hearted ness and an enhanced capacity for intimacy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I will never watch that show again and will write them to tell them that episode was the most disgusting sebment of misinformtion I have ever seen and shame on every one of them for laughing and dismissing the issue. They are the perpetrators of genital mutilation. They should all be sued for misinformation. The OB GYN needs every one of her patients to sue her for not providing "informed consent" because she herself is so misinformed. What she doesn't tell the audience is how lucrative the procedure is for her personal pocket book. So disgusting!

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  7. PLEASE! Send this video to these idiots. And the producers of this show.

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  8. I agree! Send this to the producers of the show and have these idiots fired.

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  9. What really scares me is that in the US, only ONE parent has to consent to any medical procedure. So after the baby is born, either parent could take him to his pediatrician and have him cut without the other parent's permission.

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  10. I work as a nanny and the mother took her son to get circumcised when he was a week old. He is now 2 months old and his penis is fully covered, his skin comes down past the head of his penis but does not look quite like the uncircumcised penises in pictures. His brother is 2.5 and his head is fully visible. On both boys, she has me retract the skin to clean when I change their diaper, many things I have read said that you shouldn't pull that skin back in an uncircumcised baby, is it different for circumcised babies? Also, I have looked for more information and found a lot of people saying they had to have their sons recircumcised, is that a normal situation?

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  11. i got my son circ'd and regret it, when/if i have another he will be intact, my poor boy is going to have to deal with it the rest of his life.
    and i am sorry to him as i will explain when he is old enough to understand i will be passing this video on to my family and friends

    ReplyDelete

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